Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Watches in 2007

Flash Flood Watch 1, NWS Des Moines, IA

March 14, 20079 counties in Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood watch at Mar 14, 2007, 11:29 AM CDT for 9 counties in Iowa. It took effect at Mar 14, 2007, 12:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 28 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 14, 2007, 11:29 AM CDT (16:29 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 14, 2007, 12:00 PM CDT
Expired
Mar 15, 2007, 3:40 PM CDT
In force
28 hr
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Flood severity
None

Counties Boone County, IA, Dallas County, IA, Emmet County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, Polk County, IA, Webster County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 101 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:30 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 223 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2007-03-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2007-03-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 56 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
775 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood watch went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood watch went out at Mar 14, 10:34 AM CDT, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 14, 10:34 AM CDT, 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1026 AM CDT MAR 14 2007

.DISCUSSION...

FORECAST UPDATE TO ADJUST TEMPERATURES DOWNWARD ACROSS ALL OF CWA
BUT MOST SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE SOUTH WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE
FALLING DUE TO STRONG 925-850 HPA LAYER COLD ADVECTION. MADE SOME
ADJUSTMENTS FOR CLOUD COVER AS WELL THIS MORNING AND NO OTHER
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO CURRENT FORECAST.

&&

.DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

RUSSELL
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 14, 4:44 AM CDT, 6 hours 45 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
444 AM CDT WED MAR 14 2007

IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>073-
081>084-092>095-151100-
EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO-
POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER-SAC-CALHOUN-
WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-
BOONE-STORY-MARSHALL-TAMA-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-JASPER-
POWESHIEK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-ADAMS-UNION-CLARKE-LUCAS-
TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-DECATUR-WAYNE-
444 AM CDT WED MAR 14 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

MANY RIVERS...STREAMS AND TRIBUTARIES ARE AT OR NEAR BANK FULL DUE
TO SNOW MELT RUN OFF. A FEW LOCATIONS HAVE OVERFLOWED THERE
BANKS...FLOODING ADJACENT LOW LANDS. ICE JAMS MAY OCCUR ALONG THE
SOUTH SKUNK...IOWA...RACCOON...DES MOINES AND CEDAR RIVERS PERIODICALLY
WHICH COULD EXACERBATE THE FLOOD THREAT AT ANY GIVEN POINT.

VARIOUS FLOOD WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA.
PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

MINOR SNOW MELT FLOODING ALONG AREA RIVERS AND TRIBUTARIES WILL
CONTINUE. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED BUT REPORTS OF RIVER AND
STREAM FLOODING ARE APPRECIATED.

IAZ074-075-085-086-096-097-151100-
MARION-MAHASKA-MONROE-WAPELLO-APPANOOSE-DAVIS-
444 AM CDT WED MAR 14 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

MANY RIVERS...STREAMS AND TRIBUTARIES ARE AT OR NEAR BANK FULL DUE
TO SNOW MELT RUN OFF. A FEW LOCATIONS HAVE OVERFLOWED THERE
BANKS...FLOODING ADJACENT LOW LANDS. ICE JAMS MAY OCCUR ALONG THE
SOUTH SKUNK...IOWA...RACCOON...DES MOINES AND CEDAR RIVERS PERIODICALLY
WHICH COULD EXACERBATE THE FLOOD THREAT AT ANY GIVEN POINT.

VARIOUS FLOOD WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA.
PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY EVENING.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...BUT COULD PRODUCE
SMALL HAIL. MINOR SNOW MELT FLOODING ALONG AREA RIVERS AND
TRIBUTARIES WILL CONTINUE.

PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED BUT REPORTS OF RIVER AND
STREAM FLOODING ARE APPRECIATED.

FORSTER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 14, 9:53 AM CDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
953 AM CDT WED MAR 14 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0950 AM     FLOOD            ESTHERVILLE             43.40N 94.83W
03/14/2007                   EMMET              IA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            RIVER AND STREAM FLOODING DUE TO SNOW MELT AND ICE JAMS
            HAS CLOSED MANY ROADS ACROSS COUNTY

&&

BMOYER
Local storm report, Mar 14, 11:20 AM CDT, 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1120 AM CDT WED MAR 14 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0400 AM     FLASH FLOOD      4 N FORT DODGE          42.57N 94.18W
03/14/2007                   WEBSTER            IA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ICE JAM FLASH FLOODING CAUSED RAPID RISE ON THE DES
            MOINES RIVER. DAMAGED 20 TO 30 HOMES AND SEVERAL
            VEHICLES.

1000 AM     FLASH FLOOD      FORT DODGE              42.51N 94.18W
03/14/2007                   WEBSTER            IA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            LIZARD CREEK FLASH FLOOD DUE TO ICE JAM. CAR WAS SWEEPED
            OFF OF LOW WATER CROSSING. DRIVER WAS RESCUED.

&&

JJOHNSON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 14, 11:39 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXDallas6 hr
Mar 14, 12:12 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXEmmet6 hr
Mar 14, 6:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXEmmet6 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Watches in Iowa, 2007Every flash flood watch in 2007

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.